Improvement in fuse-lighters



J. W. PLATT.

FUSE-LIGHTER. No.180,267 Patented July 25,1876.

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JOHN W. PLATT, OF MINERAL CITY, NEVADA.

' IMPROVEMENT IN FUSE -LIGHTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No- 180,267, dated July 25, 1876; application filed February 29, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. PLAT'I, of Mineral City, White Pine county, State of Nevada, have invented an Improved Fuse-Lighter; and I do hereby declare the following description and accompanying drawings are sufficient to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which it most nearly appertains to make and use my said invention or improvement without further invention or experiment.

My invention relates to an improved device for lighting fuses for firing off blasts.

The usual method of lighting fuses is by means of a short piece of candle placed under the fuse, so that when the candle burns to it the fuse will take fire, thus giving the person who places the candle in position time to get away before the blast goes off.

It often occurs, after the candle-stub has been placed under the fuse and the workmen are out of reach, that the warmed fuse will lift away from the candle without taking fire, or will fall upon the blaze of the candle and put it out, or the candle-stub will fall over and go out; and often it happens that the flame of the candle merely touches the fuse on the side and burns very slowly, in which case many an important workman has been killed or mutilated by approaching the blast as it goes off.

My improved fuse-lighter is attached directly to the fuse, and cannot become detached in g.

after it is lighted, and cannot burn up without setting fire to the fuse and it consists of a piece of felt or other inflammable material, a, through which I punch a hole, b, of the proper size to allow it to be slipped upon the fuse.

These lighters can be made of any desired shape; but I prefer to make them round.

In setting off a blast, all the miner has to do is to slip one of these fuse-lighters or disks upon the fuse, light it with a candle, and get out of the way. It cannot fail to light the fuse if it burns up; and to give it a properly inflammable character I prefer to saturate it with sperm or some other oil that will not burn too fast, but will keep the material burn- This device can be supplied to miners very cheaply, and will save them much expense and trouble.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

As a new article of manufacture, a fuselighter made of inflammable material, and punctured in the center to receive the fuse, as set forth.

JOHN W. PLAT'I.

Witnesses:

JNo. L. BooNE, O. M. RICHARDSON. 

